True Origins of Halloween, Halloween and Islam Options

[Jim]

Remember, you heard it on Islamfactor! Most folks, let alone Muslims, havent a clue what the history of Halloween really is.Similar to the history of the symbol of the crescent and star that Muslims now use to symbolize their faith which was originally dedicated to the goddess Diana, Halloween began and was celebrated as a benign NON-RELIGIOUS holiday and became to be assimilated by local Pagans, Christians and many others.


The Origin of Halloween: From the Celts to the Romans

Some historians trace the origin of Halloween back to the Celtic people of pre-medieval Europe. The Celts of Ireland, Britain, and France divided their year into halves: the "light half," roughly consisting of the spring and summer months when days are longer and nights are shorter, and the "dark half," roughly consisting of the autumn and winter months when days are shorter and nights are longer. Celts celebrated the end of the light half of the year with the festival of "Samhain" (pronounced sah-wen), which they observed during the October/November lunar cycle. Following the Roman conquest of Britain, British Celts adopted the Julian calendar and fixed the date of Samhain's observance to November 1.

Costumes and treats were a traditional part of the Celtic celebration. And while Samhain began as a strictly Celtic festival, it is probable that aspects of Roman religion were incorporated into its observance over the four centuries of Roman rule in Britain (43-410 AD). For example, Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit trees and gardens. Her symbol was an apple. Some scholars believe this may explain how candied apples and bobbing for apples became associated with Halloween (as Samhain was later renamed -- see below).

The Origin of Halloween: From Pagan to Christian

Other historians trace the origin of Halloween back to the ancient and enduring Christian tradition of celebrating the lives of Christian martyrs on the anniversaries of their deaths. When Pope Boniface IV reconsecrated the Pantheon in Rome on May 13, 609 AD, renaming it the "Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs," he established that anniversary as a day of celebratory remembrance for all of the Church's martyrs. Pope Gregory III later changed the date of remembrance to November 1 when he dedicated a chapel in St. Peter's Basilica to "all saints." November 1 became All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallow's Day. The night before became All Hallow's Eve ("Halloween" being a colloquial contraction of that phrase). While Halloween began as a localized celebration, Pope Gregory IV extended its observance to all of Christendom in the 9th Century AD.

As Christianity spread throughout the world, pagan holidays were either Christianized or forgotten. Samhain was absorbed into Halloween. Costumes and gifts and bobbing for apples were preserved, incorporated into the new holiday. They remain a celebrated part of Halloween to this day, many centuries later.

The Origin of Halloween: From Sacred to Secular, from Secular to Pagan.

The origin of Halloween as a secular celebration in many parts of the world goes back to Europe's rich Christian heritage. European empires conquered most of the world in the centuries following the Age of Exploration, allowing them to export their Christian faith and festivals to the rest of the world. With the Enlightenment of the 18th Century, secularism took root in Europe and spread to her colonies abroad. Christian holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween were secularized in many parts of the world. The celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection was supplanted in the popular culture by the Easter bunny. Trick-or-treating eclipsed pious regard for Christian martyrs.

http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/origin-of-halloween.htm

[Jim]

See also this link!

http://islamfactor.org/index.php?showtopic=3223

[jazain]

you did your homework didnt you jim??

[Coexist]

Interesting article, thanks for sharing!

[cern]

The stuff about the Celts...... it's guess work. We don't know enough about the Celts (a label applied to a range of different tribes with little to connect them) to speak in such certain terms. So the first link was not so good.

Halloween- all Hallows Evening.... the night before All Saints Day in the Catholic church. So the name is a Christian thing. (Many Pagans DO celebrate Samhain. The details may be guesswork. But they can work within the wider framework of an eight festival year). Trick or treat has its origins in an Irish Christian tradition of the poor gathering alms from house to house. When Irish people escaped the turmoil happening in Ireland by travelling to America they took their alms tradition with them and it evolved into the secular practice of Trick or treat today.

I've a very long article produced by a fiend of mine for a Christian audience. It incorporates some SERIOUS scholasticism.

BB

Mike

[jimdi]

Good article BrJimC and follow up Cern. Indeed there are many 'serious' sites on the web one of which is the following

http://www.new-age.co.uk/celtic-festivals-samhain.htm

Which gives:

There are eight main festivals - part of earth's natural calendar, the cycles of Nature - recognised by Celts, Pagans and Wiccans as sabbats :
Samhain, Midwinter Solstice, Imbolc, Spring/Vernal Equinox, Beltane, Midsummer solstice, Lammas and the Autumn Equinox

These festivals made up the Celtic wheel of the year - with nature and her changes at it's very centre.

And of interest:

Samhain Traditions and Beliefs

Samhain is considered a time to eliminate weaknesses - our Celtic ancestors slaughtered weak animals that were not likely to survive the winter and their meat was salted and stored for the dark months, this has evolved into the custom of writing your own weaknesses onto a piece of paper then burning them.

It was customary at Samhain to leave an empty chair and a plate of food for any dead guests, so that they would not be offended.
At the stroke of midnight - believed to be the hour the dead visited - all remained silent in respect.

The custom of trick-or-treating may have originated from an old Irish custom of going door-to-door to collect bread, cheese, nuts and apples in preparation for the feasting at Samhain.

When a candle flame flickers on Halloween night it is being touched by the spirits of dead ancestors.

Those born on All Hallows Eve are believed to have the gift of second sight.

If you catch a falling leaf on Samhain before it touches the ground it will bring you good luck and health for the coming winter.

There are many sites but Jim has provided the essentials from the site he found.

[cern]

Heh, I just read an article from Australia that, I think, nicely illustrates the fact that Halloween has only a tenuous connection to the Pagan festival of Samhain. In Australia Pagans are currently celebrating Beltane....the beginning of summer and the festival we in the northern hemisphere celebrate at the end of April/1st May. However, secular society in Australia is filled with kids getting dressed up in witches constumes and the like to celebrate Halloween.

BB

Mike

[Runic]

wait Aussie kids are celebrating Halloween on Beltane and not Samhain

[Coexist]

My sister the elf, and my son, Frodo Baggins...

[jaba]

That's awesome, your son really looks like Frodo, nice costumes

[Coexist]

Yeah, I don't know how it happened.... poor boy wasn't even in a costume

[Kayak]

My sister the elf, and my son, Frodo Baggins...

holy crap!! WOW! Kellsaur with the lighting and everything, looks like from the movie

lol. and your son does look like frodo in this shot, just wait like a couple more years.

[Coexist]

Yeah I have a couple more pics where he looks like Eljiah W, lol... I'll look for them one day.... Oh, and that's my living room with the curtains closed....

[Kayak]

Gosh, you weren't even trying. Looks like your around some ancient dim lit Irish bar, watching some riverdance.....

....... Jon

[Coexist]

Only cuz I cropped out the computer and stuff in the background